Atomic Dispersion of Zn2+ on N-Doped Carbon Materials: From Non-Activity to High Activity for Catalyzing Luminol-H2O2 Chemiluminescence

Fe and Co single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been widely explored in many fields, while Zn SACs are still in their infancy stage. Herein, we unexpectedly found that atomically dispersed Zn2+ on N-doped carbon material (Zn-N-C) exhibited high catalytic activity on luminol-H2O2 chemiluminescence (CL) reaction. The Zn-N-C SACs were readily prepared through simple pyrolyzation of the cheap precursors (dopamine and ZnCl2). The mechanism of Zn SAC-catalyzed CL reaction of luminol-H2O2 was investigated in detail. The activity of Zn SACs originated from the Zn-N sites in the Zn-N-C structure. The monoatomic dispersion makes Zn2+ catalytic performance change from no activity to high activity in luminol-H2O2 CL reaction. This study demonstrated the particularity of the monatomic metal catalyst over the conventional metal ion. This work provides the unprecedented perspective for design of new metal SACs in CL reaction.

Automated summary

This study found that atomically dispersed zinc ions on nitrogen-doped carbon material exhibited high catalytic activity in the luminol-H2O2 chemiluminescence reaction. The zinc-nitrogen-carbon single-atom catalysts were easily prepared through simple pyrolyzation of inexpensive precursors. The mechanism of zinc SAC-catalyzed chemiluminescence reaction was investigated in detail. The monatomic dispersion of zinc ions changed their catalytic performance from no activity to high activity, demonstrating the uniqueness of monatomic metal catalysts over conventional metal ions.